Leviticus 18 deals with all forms of sexual misconduct. This is something that is very important specifically because this is something that speaks very much to our world today.
There are serious ethical issues involved in this hairy mess of homosexual marriage and civil unions. We know that the current system does not work. For example: Oftentimes hospitals have rules about visitation: "Family members only." Also, adding their lover to their health insurance is something that is important as well for homosexual couples. Well, they live together, eat the same food, pay bills together, share a roof, love each other. That sounds like family.
But the issue comes with what does it mean to be married? Is it simply an issue of love and commitment? Or is it an issue of human nature and societal structures? Or is it an issue of religion?
Now, Dan Savage recently attacked the Bible and the church concerning sexual conduct and Leviticus, and he said "Why should we follow this one law only?" And he was referring specifically to where it says "A man shall not lay with another man as he would with a woman. (Leviticus 18: 22)" But there are some important factors to understand both biblically, and universally.
Marriage is an institution that has existed before Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is held in every culture, and in every part of the world. It is not a religious institution only.
Now, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, not everybody can or should get married. Marriage and sex is not for everyone. I can't marry and have sex with my sister. I can affirm that my sister is beautiful, and lovely, and wonderful person, and the only reason I would not consider marrying my sister is the fact that we are related. If I were to say something about incest like "That's sick, that's unnatural, and morally outrageous" I would be using the same exact words that people use against homosexual marriages. Leviticus also forbids these unions as well.
Can I not say the same thing of another man? He is handsome, responsible, a lovable person, and the only reason that I would not consider marrying him is that he is a man?
What about the issue of Polygamy. (This one is a little more slippery because many religions even to this day practice polygamy, so the analogy is imperfect.) Can I affirm that my friend is lovely, wonderful, and beautiful, and the only reason I would not take her is because I or she is already married to another person. This union is also generally forbidden in society as well as in Leviticus.
We can say the same things of other morally outrageous unions, such as marrying my mother, my step-mother, cousin or niece etc. (each forbidden in Leviticus and society in general. Also bestiality.)
Jesus takes it another step further. He says that people who have gotten divorced have surrendered their right to marry. So, now if I get a divorce (outside of specific circumstances), all marriages are forbidden to me. Yet society allows this union to this day.
So the question needs to come out. Where is the line drawn? A line WILL be drawn, and once that line is drawn, it will be pushed, even if it takes 8,000 years to push the line, it will be pushed. Either way, people should know that the Christian perspective (and overall religious perspective) is not "Only men and women can marry." It's actually "Only one human male and one human female who are not related, and have not engaged in the act of divorce from a previous marriage, are permitted to marry, though it is understood that some should never marry even if these criteria are met." This position doesn't leave just homosexuals out in the cold. It leaves a lot of straight people out in the cold as well.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Leviticus 11-17
Laws regarding Legal Purity, the Day of Atonement, and Sacrifices. 11-17
Chapter 11 deals with Clean and unclean animals. The epistle of Barnabas gives an allegorical interpretation for these laws. Because they are unbinding on Christians in accordance with the Acts 15 council and Jesus' words, early Christians who believed that this was scripture needed a way to interpret these texts so that they could understand their overall moral or purpose.
According to the Epistle of Barnabas (which is not scripture), these animals represented negative attributes that the people of God were not to exhibit. The Pig was unclean because it would literally eat anything, healthy or unhealthy, and God wanted his people to live healthy lives by only participating in activities that could be considered morally healthy. The Vulture was unclean because it was a scavenger. This represented that God did not want his people to disrespect those who were weaker than them, etc.
Others have suggested that because certain foods, if not cooked right, could be deadly, and because the knowledge was not available to them, God simply forbade those foods, until people knew how to cook those foods properly. I am less convinced of this interpretation. I would prefer Barnabas' allegorical interpretation and application.
Chapter 12 deals with the purification of women after they give birth to a child. The character of God is shown in this passage because there is a provision for women who are poor, and cannot afford to give the prescribed lamb for the offering. Poor families were permitted to give either two turtle-doves (which would be the more expensive option) or two pigeons (which would be the least expensive offering, available for the poorest of people.Luke chapter 2 records that Mary and Joseph offered two turtle doves or two pigeons indicating that they were very poor people.
Chapters 13-14 deals with leprosy and how a person or a house may be made ritually clean after a period of being leprous.
Chapter 15 deals with bodily fluids, such as nocturnal emissions and blood from a period.
Chapter 16 is the day of atonement. It is the center of the book. This is an intentional thing.The day of Atonement was the day that all of Israel's sins were forgiven.
Chapter 17 deals specifically with the slaugtering of animals for the purposes of sacrifice, along with a prohibition against eating blood.
Chapter 11 deals with Clean and unclean animals. The epistle of Barnabas gives an allegorical interpretation for these laws. Because they are unbinding on Christians in accordance with the Acts 15 council and Jesus' words, early Christians who believed that this was scripture needed a way to interpret these texts so that they could understand their overall moral or purpose.
According to the Epistle of Barnabas (which is not scripture), these animals represented negative attributes that the people of God were not to exhibit. The Pig was unclean because it would literally eat anything, healthy or unhealthy, and God wanted his people to live healthy lives by only participating in activities that could be considered morally healthy. The Vulture was unclean because it was a scavenger. This represented that God did not want his people to disrespect those who were weaker than them, etc.
Others have suggested that because certain foods, if not cooked right, could be deadly, and because the knowledge was not available to them, God simply forbade those foods, until people knew how to cook those foods properly. I am less convinced of this interpretation. I would prefer Barnabas' allegorical interpretation and application.
Chapter 12 deals with the purification of women after they give birth to a child. The character of God is shown in this passage because there is a provision for women who are poor, and cannot afford to give the prescribed lamb for the offering. Poor families were permitted to give either two turtle-doves (which would be the more expensive option) or two pigeons (which would be the least expensive offering, available for the poorest of people.Luke chapter 2 records that Mary and Joseph offered two turtle doves or two pigeons indicating that they were very poor people.
Chapters 13-14 deals with leprosy and how a person or a house may be made ritually clean after a period of being leprous.
Chapter 15 deals with bodily fluids, such as nocturnal emissions and blood from a period.
Chapter 16 is the day of atonement. It is the center of the book. This is an intentional thing.The day of Atonement was the day that all of Israel's sins were forgiven.
Chapter 17 deals specifically with the slaugtering of animals for the purposes of sacrifice, along with a prohibition against eating blood.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Leviticus 8-10
In Leviticus 8-10, we see more ceremony, and get a glimpse into the ordination of priests. The priests don the linen Ephod, the turban, the Urim and Thummim. But most important is the blood. The blood is placed on their right earlobe, their right thumb, and their right big toe. The priest has a ministry of blood. My last blog deals more on the duties of a priest, but the bloodiness of the job cannot be overstated.
The blood of the animals is a consistant and daily reminder of the sinfulness of Israel, and the consequences of sin, namely death. These animals took the place of the Israelite's lives, at least temporarily.
But what if the mediator is corrupt? What if the one who is supposed to bring the people to God and God to the people is a sinner? What happens if the purifier is impure? We learn of God's wrath against them in this short narrative.
The blood of the animals is a consistant and daily reminder of the sinfulness of Israel, and the consequences of sin, namely death. These animals took the place of the Israelite's lives, at least temporarily.
But what if the mediator is corrupt? What if the one who is supposed to bring the people to God and God to the people is a sinner? What happens if the purifier is impure? We learn of God's wrath against them in this short narrative.
10:1-3 Now Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them.2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,‘Through those who are near me I will show myself holy,and before all the people I will be glorified.’"
God said that he would show himself holy, and that he would be glorified. Now, there are some who believe that God only gets glory when he redeems people. But he also gets glory when he exercises his wrath.
Now, this portion of scripture is hard for us to bear. I mean, they were killed for burning the wrong kind of incense. And if that were all it was, it would seem so very wrong. But, it is in those seemingly non-consequential sins that man is so easily ensnared by. Humanity fell under a curse because Adam bit into a fruit. These were killed for offering unapproved incense. Uzzah died for touching the Ark.
But Adam didn't just eat the fruit. Adam disobeyed God, and brought a schism between heaven and earth. God told him what was going to happen, and Adam deliberately disobeyed God. Nadab and Abihu did the same exact thing. God told them how to do their job. And they did exactly what God told them not to do. Now, because the priests are a type of Christ, and are administering the sacrifices that are also foreshadowing Christ, this sort of insubordination cannot be tolerated. Beware of testing God, saying "will God really do what he said he would?"
God said that he would show himself holy, and that he would be glorified. Now, there are some who believe that God only gets glory when he redeems people. But he also gets glory when he exercises his wrath.
Now, this portion of scripture is hard for us to bear. I mean, they were killed for burning the wrong kind of incense. And if that were all it was, it would seem so very wrong. But, it is in those seemingly non-consequential sins that man is so easily ensnared by. Humanity fell under a curse because Adam bit into a fruit. These were killed for offering unapproved incense. Uzzah died for touching the Ark.
But Adam didn't just eat the fruit. Adam disobeyed God, and brought a schism between heaven and earth. God told him what was going to happen, and Adam deliberately disobeyed God. Nadab and Abihu did the same exact thing. God told them how to do their job. And they did exactly what God told them not to do. Now, because the priests are a type of Christ, and are administering the sacrifices that are also foreshadowing Christ, this sort of insubordination cannot be tolerated. Beware of testing God, saying "will God really do what he said he would?"
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Leviticus 1-7
We are now entering the third book of the Torah, Leviticus. Now, Leviticus is something of a mystery for Christians, and American Christians in particular. Leviticus deals with priestly duties, what to sacrifice and how to sacrifice it, who should offer the sacrifice, and what a person should sacrifice depending on their own individual needs. Which is perplexing to us. Unless you're a Catholic or an Eastern Orthodox, you may not understand the role of a priest. Most of our meat comes from the store, and we have never killed an animal, much less slaughter and dissect one. We are often concerned of animal rights, and the thought of killing an animal because we screwed up, may sound revolting to us. So, naturally, we are inclined to misunderstand Leviticus, and to not consider it because it may make us feel unsettled. Some, for a less noble reason, don't read it because it can be repetitive and repetitive. But I assure you, there is good, Gospel in this book.
There are 5 main divisions of the book of Leviticus.
I. Ritual Sacrifices (1-7)
II. Ceremony of Ordination of priests (8-10)
III. Laws regarding Legal Purity (11-16)
IV. Code of Legal Holiness (17-26)
V. Redemption of Offerings (27)
The Role of a priest.
A priest represents God to the people, and the people to God. The Priest acts as a mediator. He brings the sins of the people to God, and asks for His forgiveness, and delivers God's forgiveness to the people. Note that it is not the priest who is forgiving sins. Only God can forgive sins, but that message of forgiveness is delivered through the priest. Now there are two kinds of Priests. Regular priests, and the High Priest. This correlates to the New Testament very well. In the New Testament, the High Priest is Jesus, and the other Priests are the ministers in the church.
Did I just say that your Pastor can forgive sins? In the Catholic Church, yes, the Priest has the ability to deliver God's forgiveness to the people. But not everybody is a Catholic. One way in which a minister delivers God's forgiveness to the people is through Baptism. Also, Pastors often intercede to God for their saints. Praying that God would have mercy on them, and that God would draw closer to them, and God hears the prayers of His ministers.
Now, there is a sense in which ALL of Israel is a priest, and by extension, all of the Church are priests. God says of Israel "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:6 Peter quotes these same words in his epistle, and applies them to the church. So there is a general priesthood of believers as well. There is a sense in which all of us are priests. The people of the world look at us, and see God. We can communicate God's teachings and love to the whole world, and they may come to God through our intercession.
Confession: Part of what the Protestant reformation lopped off from the historical church was the practice of confession. Throughout church history, confession was regularly practiced. James writes "Confess your sins one to another." And undoubtedly they confessed their sins to the priest when they offered the sacrifice, otherwise, how would the priest know what to sacrifice, and how to sacrifice it?
Concerning Confession, C.S. Lewis writs: It is not for me to decide whether you should confess your sins to a priest or not... but if you do not, you should at least make a list on a piece of paper, and make a serious act of penance about each one of them. There is something about the mere words, you know, provided you avoid two dangers, either of sensational exaggeration - trying to work things up and make melodramatic sins out of small matters - or the opposite danger of slurring things over. It is essential to use the plain simple, old-fashioned words that you would use about anyone else. I mean words like theft, or fornication, or hatred instead of "I did not mean to be dishonest," or "I was only a boy then," or "I lost my temper." I thing that this steady facing of what one does know and bringing it before God, without excuses, and seriously asking for Forgiveness and Grace, and resolving as far as in one lies to do better, is the only way in which we can ever begin to know the fatal thing which is always there, and preventing us from becoming perfectly just to our wife or husband, or being a better employer or employee. If this process is gone throiugh, I do not doubt that most of us will come to understand and to share these old words like "contrite," "miserable" and "intolerable."
Sacrifice:
And what else must be there for forgiveness? A sacrifice. At last we address the main subject of these first seven chapters. Sacrifice. Now these bloody sacrifices, serve a purpose. They show us the very real threat of death that sin causes. Imagine living in Ancient Israel, and every day you see sacrifices happen, and you know the reason for those sacrifices is sin. Sin brings death into the world, and the sacrifices were a constant reminder of that. But the blood of bulls and rams could not take away the sins of the world forever, but they merely foreshadowed what was to come, namely the perfect and spotless lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah. God the Father sent his Son into the world, with a purpose. And that purpose was to take the sin of the world upon him. Christ is unique in that He not only is the High Priest, He is the Sacrifice as well.
"Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven." Leviticus 4:31
Atonement. At-one. Atone. To Atone for sins is to bring back together, and to make a person "at one" with God. And this is what is accomplished in the death of Jesus Christ. Sin has marred our beautiful godlike image, and it has turned all of our desires inward, so that God is not first in our priorities, but we are. This separates us from God. But Christ's death brings atonement for our sins, and makes us One with God again. This Oneness is most displayed when one is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God
You Take Away
The Sins of the
The World. - Agnus Dei.
There are 5 main divisions of the book of Leviticus.
I. Ritual Sacrifices (1-7)
II. Ceremony of Ordination of priests (8-10)
III. Laws regarding Legal Purity (11-16)
IV. Code of Legal Holiness (17-26)
V. Redemption of Offerings (27)
The Role of a priest.
A priest represents God to the people, and the people to God. The Priest acts as a mediator. He brings the sins of the people to God, and asks for His forgiveness, and delivers God's forgiveness to the people. Note that it is not the priest who is forgiving sins. Only God can forgive sins, but that message of forgiveness is delivered through the priest. Now there are two kinds of Priests. Regular priests, and the High Priest. This correlates to the New Testament very well. In the New Testament, the High Priest is Jesus, and the other Priests are the ministers in the church.
Did I just say that your Pastor can forgive sins? In the Catholic Church, yes, the Priest has the ability to deliver God's forgiveness to the people. But not everybody is a Catholic. One way in which a minister delivers God's forgiveness to the people is through Baptism. Also, Pastors often intercede to God for their saints. Praying that God would have mercy on them, and that God would draw closer to them, and God hears the prayers of His ministers.
Now, there is a sense in which ALL of Israel is a priest, and by extension, all of the Church are priests. God says of Israel "And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Exodus 19:6 Peter quotes these same words in his epistle, and applies them to the church. So there is a general priesthood of believers as well. There is a sense in which all of us are priests. The people of the world look at us, and see God. We can communicate God's teachings and love to the whole world, and they may come to God through our intercession. Confession: Part of what the Protestant reformation lopped off from the historical church was the practice of confession. Throughout church history, confession was regularly practiced. James writes "Confess your sins one to another." And undoubtedly they confessed their sins to the priest when they offered the sacrifice, otherwise, how would the priest know what to sacrifice, and how to sacrifice it?
Concerning Confession, C.S. Lewis writs: It is not for me to decide whether you should confess your sins to a priest or not... but if you do not, you should at least make a list on a piece of paper, and make a serious act of penance about each one of them. There is something about the mere words, you know, provided you avoid two dangers, either of sensational exaggeration - trying to work things up and make melodramatic sins out of small matters - or the opposite danger of slurring things over. It is essential to use the plain simple, old-fashioned words that you would use about anyone else. I mean words like theft, or fornication, or hatred instead of "I did not mean to be dishonest," or "I was only a boy then," or "I lost my temper." I thing that this steady facing of what one does know and bringing it before God, without excuses, and seriously asking for Forgiveness and Grace, and resolving as far as in one lies to do better, is the only way in which we can ever begin to know the fatal thing which is always there, and preventing us from becoming perfectly just to our wife or husband, or being a better employer or employee. If this process is gone throiugh, I do not doubt that most of us will come to understand and to share these old words like "contrite," "miserable" and "intolerable."
Sacrifice:
And what else must be there for forgiveness? A sacrifice. At last we address the main subject of these first seven chapters. Sacrifice. Now these bloody sacrifices, serve a purpose. They show us the very real threat of death that sin causes. Imagine living in Ancient Israel, and every day you see sacrifices happen, and you know the reason for those sacrifices is sin. Sin brings death into the world, and the sacrifices were a constant reminder of that. But the blood of bulls and rams could not take away the sins of the world forever, but they merely foreshadowed what was to come, namely the perfect and spotless lamb of God, Jesus the Messiah. God the Father sent his Son into the world, with a purpose. And that purpose was to take the sin of the world upon him. Christ is unique in that He not only is the High Priest, He is the Sacrifice as well.
"Thus the priest shall make atonement on your behalf, and you shall be forgiven." Leviticus 4:31
Atonement. At-one. Atone. To Atone for sins is to bring back together, and to make a person "at one" with God. And this is what is accomplished in the death of Jesus Christ. Sin has marred our beautiful godlike image, and it has turned all of our desires inward, so that God is not first in our priorities, but we are. This separates us from God. But Christ's death brings atonement for our sins, and makes us One with God again. This Oneness is most displayed when one is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Lamb of God
You Take Away
The Sins of the
The World. - Agnus Dei.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Exodus 18-40.
This blog is a very very quick run though of the last 22 chapters of Exodus. Hold on to your seat belts.
The first thing that is noticeable in Chapter 18, is the origin of the Judges of Israel. Jethro sees Moses judging the people's cases all day, every day, and says that he is being exhausted. He offers him wisdom. Ready for it? YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL!
He advises Moses to make judges for the people of Israel, and they will judge each person, and the very difficult cases, will be brought to Moses. Which gives Moses another role. Moses is now officially, a Prophet and a Judge.
Jesus is also a Prophet and a Judge. Now, a person recently asked me why it is that I keep drawing these parallels between Moses and Jesus. And the reason for that is this. Moses prophesied that the Messiah would be like him. (He hasn't said that yet in the story yet though.)
The Rabbis claim that the Judges are their ancestors, and that each Judge appointed a successor, and that continues even to today. I'm not entirely sure how valid that is, but they look to this chapter and see their ancestral authority.
In chapter 19, God tells Israel their chosen purpose. God says "You have seen how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples, though all the earth is mine. You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."
God delivered Israel by his power, and now Israel belongs to God. People who have been delivered owe a debt to God. An unimaginable debt. We are not freed from slavery. We are still slaves. We are delivered from Egypt. We are now love slaves to the Almighty God. So put your ear to the door.
Exodus 20. The Ten Commandments / The Two Commandments.
In essence, you can break down the ten commandments into two commandments. The Pursuit of Godliness, and the Pursuit of Righteousness. Now many do not understand the difference. Godliness is to pursue a right relationship with God, and putting God before yourself. Righteousness is to pursue a right relationship with other people, and putting them before yourself. In fact, they are even in that order. The first four commandments relate to how we should honor God, and the last 6 commandments relate to how we should honor men and women.
But Jesus said it this way. 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
From Exodus 20-40 deal specifically with various laws, each holy and righteous, and good. But above all, each in line with the first two commandments. It also deals with different tabernacle furnishings. A point of which I would like to touch on later.
Exodus also tells of the people's sworn loyalty and their actual practice. They swear to serve Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, but while Moses is up on the Mountain of God, they make a golden calf, and worship it. From then on, God compares them to an Ox when they are rebellious, referring to them as "stiff-necked."
Exodus 31:3, 35:21, and 35:31 describes individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit. And they are gifted by the Holy Spirit. Now, so far, we have heard of people filled with the Spirit, it has to do with Prophecy. Joseph was able to prophecy, and to have dreams, and interpret dreams. But here, surprisingly for Protestants, people are described of being filled with the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of making Icons. The Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant, the lamp stands, etc, were all Icons that were meant to be reminders of God's providence and were used in the worship of the Almighty.
Which leads us to a question. Protestants have been opposed to Icons used by our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers on the basis of Exodus 20 warning against idolatry and God's strict commandment not to make anything "in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water's beneath the earth." But this has to be harmonized with the Ark of the Covenant and the Bronze Serpent, and other icons that Israel made. Is it possible that the various icons that our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches use in prayer were actually made by people who were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that God used them for that express purpose? I think so.
The first thing that is noticeable in Chapter 18, is the origin of the Judges of Israel. Jethro sees Moses judging the people's cases all day, every day, and says that he is being exhausted. He offers him wisdom. Ready for it? YOU CAN'T DO IT ALL!
He advises Moses to make judges for the people of Israel, and they will judge each person, and the very difficult cases, will be brought to Moses. Which gives Moses another role. Moses is now officially, a Prophet and a Judge.
Jesus is also a Prophet and a Judge. Now, a person recently asked me why it is that I keep drawing these parallels between Moses and Jesus. And the reason for that is this. Moses prophesied that the Messiah would be like him. (He hasn't said that yet in the story yet though.)
The Rabbis claim that the Judges are their ancestors, and that each Judge appointed a successor, and that continues even to today. I'm not entirely sure how valid that is, but they look to this chapter and see their ancestral authority.
In chapter 19, God tells Israel their chosen purpose. God says "You have seen how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now, if you obey me completely and keep my covenant, you will be my treasured possession among all peoples, though all the earth is mine. You will be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation."
God delivered Israel by his power, and now Israel belongs to God. People who have been delivered owe a debt to God. An unimaginable debt. We are not freed from slavery. We are still slaves. We are delivered from Egypt. We are now love slaves to the Almighty God. So put your ear to the door.
Exodus 20. The Ten Commandments / The Two Commandments.
In essence, you can break down the ten commandments into two commandments. The Pursuit of Godliness, and the Pursuit of Righteousness. Now many do not understand the difference. Godliness is to pursue a right relationship with God, and putting God before yourself. Righteousness is to pursue a right relationship with other people, and putting them before yourself. In fact, they are even in that order. The first four commandments relate to how we should honor God, and the last 6 commandments relate to how we should honor men and women.
But Jesus said it this way. 28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
From Exodus 20-40 deal specifically with various laws, each holy and righteous, and good. But above all, each in line with the first two commandments. It also deals with different tabernacle furnishings. A point of which I would like to touch on later.
Exodus also tells of the people's sworn loyalty and their actual practice. They swear to serve Yahweh, and Yahweh alone, but while Moses is up on the Mountain of God, they make a golden calf, and worship it. From then on, God compares them to an Ox when they are rebellious, referring to them as "stiff-necked."
Exodus 31:3, 35:21, and 35:31 describes individuals who are filled with the Holy Spirit. And they are gifted by the Holy Spirit. Now, so far, we have heard of people filled with the Spirit, it has to do with Prophecy. Joseph was able to prophecy, and to have dreams, and interpret dreams. But here, surprisingly for Protestants, people are described of being filled with the Holy Spirit for the express purpose of making Icons. The Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant, the lamp stands, etc, were all Icons that were meant to be reminders of God's providence and were used in the worship of the Almighty.
Which leads us to a question. Protestants have been opposed to Icons used by our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers on the basis of Exodus 20 warning against idolatry and God's strict commandment not to make anything "in the sky above or on the earth below or in the water's beneath the earth." But this has to be harmonized with the Ark of the Covenant and the Bronze Serpent, and other icons that Israel made. Is it possible that the various icons that our brothers and sisters in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches use in prayer were actually made by people who were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that God used them for that express purpose? I think so.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Exodus 15-17
Victory Dance
Two books into the Torah, and we have just happened across the oldest portion of scripture.Exodus 15 is perhaps the oldest portion of scripture. Why is that? Because it was sung besides the Red Sea, by a group of people, in an act of liturgy. This was likely written down long before the rest of the Torah. It contains some of the most "raw" revelation of God.
God is depicted as a warrior God. Israel sings his praises like children applauding their favorite super-hero. "He has thrown the horse and the rider into the sea!" "He is my Father's God" His "Right hand shatters the enemy." This God is the toughest God that could ever exist. This God split a sea in half by blasting it with His nostrils. There is no statement of Monotheism per se, but there is a view that he is the supreme God. He is the toughest God. He destroyed the Egyptian gods, He conquered Pharaoh, he delivered them from Egypt, and because of that, He is the best God.
The song boasts about how the inhabitants of Canaan have already been defeated. The song shows their true confidence in God. They know that if God delivered them from Egypt, then surely, God can give them the land that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
But eventually...
The murmuring begins. "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."
It's funny how this happens almost immediately in the text. God is shown as faithful, and his people are shown as fickle. God demonstrates amazing power, they believe, they get a little hungry, and they doubt God's ability. God delivers them from this doubt by giving them bread and quail. He tells them to only gather for the day, but never for two days, unless it's the day before the Sabbath, then he would allow them to gather for two days.
It's funny how this happens almost immediately in the text. God is shown as faithful, and his people are shown as fickle. God demonstrates amazing power, they believe, they get a little hungry, and they doubt God's ability. God delivers them from this doubt by giving them bread and quail. He tells them to only gather for the day, but never for two days, unless it's the day before the Sabbath, then he would allow them to gather for two days.
God is teaching his people to trust him. They are not to worry about the next day, but to believe in God's promise. God said that he would bring more Manna tomorrow. God oftentimes asks us to trust him for our sustenance. He has delivered us, and he will not let us go. He did not rescue us, He did not save us, He did not die for us, just to see us wither and die in the wilderness.
Now, Jesus said that He came from heaven, and compares Himself to the manna which fell in the wilderness, and tells us to eat His flesh. The body and the blood of our Lord is what sustains us. The Holy Communion is the pinnacle of Christian Worship. Through Holy Communion, we are able to stand at the feet of the Cross. We participate in an Eternal event. We encounter the crucified Lord, and take the position of John, at his feet.
Now, Jesus said that He came from heaven, and compares Himself to the manna which fell in the wilderness, and tells us to eat His flesh. The body and the blood of our Lord is what sustains us. The Holy Communion is the pinnacle of Christian Worship. Through Holy Communion, we are able to stand at the feet of the Cross. We participate in an Eternal event. We encounter the crucified Lord, and take the position of John, at his feet.
The Murmuring Continues...
Essentially the same complaint occurs, except this time, the people demand water. Again they accuse the Lord of being incompetent. Apparently, Israel believes that God can deliver from Egypt, and from hunger, but not from thirst. It almost seems impossible to believe. Except if you put yourself in their shoes. In fact, if you were just entirely honest with yourself, you would acknowledge that you do this too. Imagine, walking, for days in the desert. No water. The sun beats down on your face, and you stagger around, and you look all around you, and in every direction all you see is sand. For all you know, you, and all your family, are wandering aimlessly.
But God delivers Israel again from their complaints. And He gives them water, and they are refreshed. But this leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of Moses. He names the river Massah and Meribah, which means Test and Quarel, and he writes, "The Israelites quarrelled and tested the LORD saying "Is the LORD among us or not?"
But God delivers Israel again from their complaints. And He gives them water, and they are refreshed. But this leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of Moses. He names the river Massah and Meribah, which means Test and Quarel, and he writes, "The Israelites quarrelled and tested the LORD saying "Is the LORD among us or not?"
Exodus 17 and the Epistle of Barnabas
Recorded in Exodus 17 is the first war that Israel has to fight. Israel fights against Amalek. Moses, Aaron, and Hur go up to the mountain. When Moses' arms were raised, the people were victorious, when they dropped, the people would lose the battle. So Aaron and Hur stood beside Moses and lifted his arms up, so Israel would win the battle.
Now, Barnabas wrote an Epistle, and in this Epistle, Barnabas writes that this is a type of Jesus. That when Christians look to the cross, they are saved from their enemies, and that if Jesus' arms were never stretched out, there would be no victory over sin, death, and Satan.
Now, Barnabas wrote an Epistle, and in this Epistle, Barnabas writes that this is a type of Jesus. That when Christians look to the cross, they are saved from their enemies, and that if Jesus' arms were never stretched out, there would be no victory over sin, death, and Satan.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Exodus 12-14
The Passover.
The Passover feast is the first in the liturgical calander of the Jews. In fact, it marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year. Now, there are certain rules for the Passover. These rules are meant to be reminders of how the Jews were delivered from Egypt. Among these rules was the unleavened bread. In the eating of unleavened bread, they remember that they did not have time to wait around for the yeast to rise, but they had to leave quickly, so they baked the bread without the leaven.
Another was that the lamb's bones could not be broken. Now Israel did not understand the meaning of this until far later. We see why the lamb's bones could not be broken from John. John writes that this was an allusion to Christ's death.
When a person was being crucified, they would choke on their own collar bone. When they wanted to take a breath, they would press up on their feet (that had nails in them) and pull up with their arms (that also had nails in them) and they would catch a quick breath, before going back down, and choking on their collar bone. This agonizing process could go on for hours, even days. But when the Romans wanted them to die faster, they would break the legs. When the legs were broken, they could not be pushed up on, and that person could not breath. Jesus however, died, before his legs could be broken.
The lamb's blood was applied to the door frame of God's people, and they were delivered from death. Death passed over, taking the first born from Egypt, but death passed over the Israelites. In the same way, Jesus was God's lamb, and His blood is applied to the saints. And when his blood is applied to the saints, they do not inherit death.
Another was that the lamb's bones could not be broken. Now Israel did not understand the meaning of this until far later. We see why the lamb's bones could not be broken from John. John writes that this was an allusion to Christ's death.
When a person was being crucified, they would choke on their own collar bone. When they wanted to take a breath, they would press up on their feet (that had nails in them) and pull up with their arms (that also had nails in them) and they would catch a quick breath, before going back down, and choking on their collar bone. This agonizing process could go on for hours, even days. But when the Romans wanted them to die faster, they would break the legs. When the legs were broken, they could not be pushed up on, and that person could not breath. Jesus however, died, before his legs could be broken.
The lamb's blood was applied to the door frame of God's people, and they were delivered from death. Death passed over, taking the first born from Egypt, but death passed over the Israelites. In the same way, Jesus was God's lamb, and His blood is applied to the saints. And when his blood is applied to the saints, they do not inherit death.
The Red Sea
After God's last plague, Pharaoh decides to let Israel Go. And God guides them to the red sea, with a pillar of fire by night, and a cloud by the day time. But Pharaoh changes his mind and pursues them to the sea. The people are terrified, and they call out to Moses, and accuse God, saying "did you deliver us from Egypt just so we could die here!?" But God tells Moses to put his rod over the sea. He obeys, and an east wind splits the Red Sea in half. They walk across on dry ground, and Pharaoh's armies are thrown into the Sea.
Many early Christians, including the Apostle Peter himself, saw this as a foreshadowing of Baptism. The individual is delivered from a sinful world, and inherit a new life. (Israel is delievered from Egypt, and starts a new nation.) The wickedness of the old life is washed away in the water. (The Egyptians were destroyed in the Red Sea.)
Now, there may also be some important parallels to point out between Moses and Jesus. So far, we have the following similarities.
1) Moses and Jesus both had to flee for their lives as infants. Kings were trying to kill them both.
2) Moses started his ministry after being in the desert for 40 years. Jesus started his ministry after being in the desert for 40 days.
3) Moses went to deliver Israel, riding on a donkey. Jesus went to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, riding a donkey.
4) Moses was rejected by his own people. Jesus was rejected by his own people.
There are more to come, for sure.
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